A child in trouble needs help now. That’s why the Center for Child Counseling has started driving its services directly to those who need them most, instead of waiting for those in trouble to come to it.
The center unveiled its new mobile unit in June, and it’s far more than a bus. The new 25-foot vehicle delivers trauma-informed care, prevention tools to hurting children, in the hope of giving them hope. The center’s leaders expect it to eliminate barriers to care and transform how services are delivered throughout Palm Beach County.
“We don’t have to wait for a child to fall apart emotionally before we do something,” Renée Layman, the center’s CEO, said at the mobile unit’s unveiling on June 17.
Sam Meshberg and Abby Baker officially cut the ribbon of Center for Child Counseling’s new mobile unit. The Center’s executive leadership team, staff members, board members and friends join them. The bus will help the center bring its services directly to those in need.
Those who work at the center know well the types of children the mobile unit will help.
Ali Eger, its executive director, shared the story of a 3-year-old girl who was coping with trauma. In her struggles, she would screech and rip everything to shreds in the classroom. With the help of the center’s on-site therapist and play therapy, the child’s life was transformed, she said. Today, Eger said, the student is in a high school honors program, has friends and participates in theater.
“We are so thrilled about this mobile unit and how it’s going to expand the services for our children and the whole community,” Eger said.
The COVID pandemic disrupted the lives of children, closing schools and reducing activities and services available to them. Some studies have estimated 1 in 4 children in Florida may be experiencing a mental health or behavioral concern. Others have estimated that 70-80% of children in need of mental health services do not receive them.
Since 2019, the center has worked with WebAuthor to map out a data dashboard to assess the youth mental health crisis. It populates the dashboard with data from more than 10,000 children it serves and uses the information to pinpoint emerging trends in specific areas.
The dashboard highlights behavioral issues, family conflict, and anxiety as the most common concerns. That geomapping is driving the agency’s efforts to better serve kids and families in Palm Beach County with the new mobile unit.
The purchase of the mobile unit was made possible by an anonymous donor and friend of Center for Child Counseling. Its operating costs are being supported by Boca West Children’s Foundation, Impact 100 Palm Beach County, Men Giving Back, and a local private foundation.
For more information on Center for Child Counseling or to refer someone for services, visit centerforchildcounseling.org.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Mobile unit to help Center for Child Counseling help kids in need